You don't sort by fabric type? You'd wash blue jeans with delicates (like bras)? Sorting's not that big of a deal.

Honestly, no. Never met anybody who does, either. I sort by colour if it's the first few times a particular item has been washed, but that's it.

Maybe it's a washing temperature thing? Most people I know wash their clothes at around 40C (that's the standard, washing powders here boast about how cold you can wash clothes, and also about how you can mix colours). Newer washing machines wash as low as 30C. So, I'd never have the temperature high enough to damage anything.

I also noticed (when I lived abroad) that top loading washing machines are much harder on clothes (seriously, to the point of damaging the fabric over just a few washes), so maybe you have to be more careful because of that?

Most clothes here have washing instructions on the tags.

So my husband's dress shirts will say "permanent press, cold" which means I shouldn't wash them with the towels, which typically get washed on warm or hot on the "normal" cycle. Especially since the towels will deposit a million little bits of fuzz on the shirts in the dryer. There's no line-drying here because my area tends to have high winds and no one wants to chase their sheets across the neighborhood.

You don't sort by fabric type? You'd wash blue jeans with delicates (like bras)? Sorting's not that big of a deal.

Honestly, no. Never met anybody who does, either. I sort by colour if it's the first few times a particular item has been washed, but that's it.

Maybe it's a washing temperature thing? Most people I know wash their clothes at around 40C (that's the standard, washing powders here boast about how cold you can wash clothes, and also about how you can mix colours). Newer washing machines wash as low as 30C. So, I'd never have the temperature high enough to damage anything.

I also noticed (when I lived abroad) that top loading washing machines are much harder on clothes (seriously, to the point of damaging the fabric over just a few washes), so maybe you have to be more careful because of that?

Most clothes here have washing instructions on the tags.

So my husband's dress shirts will say "permanent press, cold" which means I shouldn't wash them with the towels, which typically get washed on warm or hot on the "normal" cycle. Especially since the towels will deposit a million little bits of fuzz on the shirts in the dryer. There's no line-drying here because my area tends to have high winds and no one wants to chase their sheets across the neighborhood.

Reading...tags...what is this voodoo of which you speak?

Everybody I know only reads tags to find out if something's dry clean only, or if they paid £££ for something. Normal everyday clothes, sheets, towels, underwear, socks, literally anything at all, all gets chucked in the washing machine together at 40C.

Most Americans don't really make a big deal out of doing laundry. In fact, I'd say that the vast majority don't have laundry rooms at all, especially once you take into account the large number of renters. Hence the prevalence of laundromats in just about every city and town.

As far as sorting and folding/hanging clothes goes, I do it so they last longer and I don't have to iron them for work, nothing more or less. It's certainly no "pulaver."

I'm in the UK, wash most things in 30 degrees and definitely separate whites and colours and delicates. I am no domestic goddess, far from it, but to keep the whites white I've found it pretty important. So it does happen here too

I'm in the UK, wash most things in 30 degrees and definitely separate whites and colours and delicates. I am no domestic goddess, far from it, but to keep the whites white I've found it pretty important. So it does happen here too

I admit, if I'm doing two loads I'll separate into light stuff and dark stuff. If I saved up delicates, I'd either have to do the tiniest load of laundry ever, or own wayyyyy more underwear.

I'm in the UK, wash most things in 30 degrees and definitely separate whites and colours and delicates. I am no domestic goddess, far from it, but to keep the whites white I've found it pretty important. So it does happen here too

I admit, if I'm doing two loads I'll separate into light stuff and dark stuff. If I saved up delicates, I'd either have to do the tiniest load of laundry ever, or own wayyyyy more underwear.

And that's sorting! So really, you're doing all the steps you listed for the US, except the folding.

Every residence I've ever even been in/seen online has the washer (and dryer, if present) in the kitchen, or in a utility room which is as near as possible to the kitchen. I've never seen a 'laundry room'. The closest thing would be a utility room, but that usually has all the laundry stuff, plus tools, dog food, garden implements, basically 'heavy duty' or dirty things that you don't want in the main house.

(Utility rooms also don't always have a sink, and the sink is usually a 'dirty sink', for cleaning things like BBQ grills, I've never seen a special sink for laundry. )

To be honest, I've always thought that Americans make a huge pulaver out of doing a bit of washing. It's always depicted as some massive undertaking, with the need for a special room and all these special steps. (Sorting, washing, opening the lid to add rinse stuff, drying, folding...)

Everybody I know (including people with several young children) just chucks the clothes in the washer, takes them out, dries them, and throws them in the ironing basket until they can be bothered to iron them and hang them up (or if you're me, you just put stuff away when it's dry, I don't iron stuff unless I need to be smart).

The concept of 'laundry day', or needing a 'laundry room' is just silly to me, now that you can chuck it in the washer (which takes two minutes), and hang it out to dry (which takes 5 minutes). Even if I had several kids, I'd struggle to spend more than 20 mins a day on laundry, especially as most kids clothes don't need ironing.

It is a bit offensive to claim that "Americans" make a "huge pulaver" about anything- "America" has so many cultures and subgroups that it isn't possible to say anything much about us as a unified group.

As far as having your washer and dryer in the kitchen, while it may be common for you, where I live isn't done if possible, and would be a sign of poverty, especially because the stereotype of extreme poverty in some areas is that they have a couch and stuffed recliner on the porch and a washer and dryer hooked up in the kitchen (because the laundry alcove or room is being used for a bedroom). Most kitchen don't have the space or hookups available (except for some rentals which add a laundry space or alcove for hookups in the kitchen)

Here in Wisconsin temperatures range from 20 degrees F. to -30 degrees F, with windchills that can drop to -52 degrees F. Hanging clothing outside to dry from November through March or April would range from dangerous to painful for 6 months of the year.

And in order to keep whites white and blacks crisp I do separate clothing. On laundry day I have 2 loads of towels (for 2 people), 8 pairs of jeans, 4 or 5 pairs of pants, and about 14 shirts, plus underwear/socks, and jammies. It takes my husband all day between other things- stain pre-treating and spot removal, 45 minutes for each load to wash, an hour to dry, 20 or 30 minutes to fold/hang-up/put away each load. We're talking about 5 loads or so, so really not just a minute to pop it in and 2 minutes to dry.

I work a professional job- if I don't do laundry well my clothing won't be okay for work.

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"Here to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Have chalice, will travel."

I'm in the UK, wash most things in 30 degrees and definitely separate whites and colours and delicates. I am no domestic goddess, far from it, but to keep the whites white I've found it pretty important. So it does happen here too

I admit, if I'm doing two loads I'll separate into light stuff and dark stuff. If I saved up delicates, I'd either have to do the tiniest load of laundry ever, or own wayyyyy more underwear.

And that's sorting! So really, you're doing all the steps you listed for the US, except the folding.

Every residence I've ever even been in/seen online has the washer (and dryer, if present) in the kitchen, or in a utility room which is as near as possible to the kitchen. I've never seen a 'laundry room'. The closest thing would be a utility room, but that usually has all the laundry stuff, plus tools, dog food, garden implements, basically 'heavy duty' or dirty things that you don't want in the main house.

(Utility rooms also don't always have a sink, and the sink is usually a 'dirty sink', for cleaning things like BBQ grills, I've never seen a special sink for laundry. )

To be honest, I've always thought that Americans make a huge pulaver out of doing a bit of washing. It's always depicted as some massive undertaking, with the need for a special room and all these special steps. (Sorting, washing, opening the lid to add rinse stuff, drying, folding...)

Everybody I know (including people with several young children) just chucks the clothes in the washer, takes them out, dries them, and throws them in the ironing basket until they can be bothered to iron them and hang them up (or if you're me, you just put stuff away when it's dry, I don't iron stuff unless I need to be smart).

The concept of 'laundry day', or needing a 'laundry room' is just silly to me, now that you can chuck it in the washer (which takes two minutes), and hang it out to dry (which takes 5 minutes). Even if I had several kids, I'd struggle to spend more than 20 mins a day on laundry, especially as most kids clothes don't need ironing.

It is a bit offensive to claim that "Americans" make a "huge pulaver" about anything- "America" has so many cultures and subgroups that it isn't possible to say anything much about us as a unified group.

As far as having your washer and dryer in the kitchen, while it may be common for you, where I live isn't done if possible, and would be a sign of poverty, especially because the stereotype of extreme poverty in some areas is that they have a couch and stuffed recliner on the porch and a washer and dryer hooked up in the kitchen (because the laundry alcove or room is being used for a bedroom). Most kitchen don't have the space or hookups available (except for some rentals which add a laundry space or alcove for hookups in the kitchen)

Here in Wisconsin temperatures range from 20 degrees F. to -30 degrees F, with windchills that can drop to -52 degrees F. Hanging clothing outside to dry from November through March or April would range from dangerous to painful for 6 months of the year.

And in order to keep whites white and blacks crisp I do separate clothing. On laundry day I have 2 loads of towels (for 2 people), 8 pairs of jeans, 4 or 5 pairs of pants, and about 14 shirts, plus underwear/socks, and jammies. It takes my husband all day between other things- stain pre-treating and spot removal, 45 minutes for each load to wash, an hour to dry, 20 or 30 minutes to fold/hang-up/put away each load. We're talking about 5 loads or so, so really not just a minute to pop it in and 2 minutes to dry.

I work a professional job- if I don't do laundry well my clothing won't be okay for work.

I think that what I'm saying is that UK washing machines (and possibly even powders) might be so different that a more involved process (like you describe) isn't really neccessary.

I work a professional job too-and I'm fairly sure that I don't look like a scruffpot!

I certainly don't assume that American washers are in the kitchen-quite the reverse! I actually assumed that it quite unusual, and that most people either had their own laundry room, a shared laundry facility in their building, or went to the laundrette.

I also forgot that pulaver is probably an unknown term in the US-I don't think you'd find it offensive if you knew the context in which it's used in the UK. It's somewhere between 'daftness' and 'rigmarole'. And you only say something's daft if you're being friendly.

... I also noticed (when I lived abroad) that top loading washing machines are much harder on clothes (seriously, to the point of damaging the fabric over just a few washes), so maybe you have to be more careful because of that?

I don't know what kind of top loader you used, but I've never owned or used anything but a top loader. I still have clothes that I wore in college (still in good condition!) and I'm in my seventies now.

... I also noticed (when I lived abroad) that top loading washing machines are much harder on clothes (seriously, to the point of damaging the fabric over just a few washes), so maybe you have to be more careful because of that?

I don't know what kind of top loader you used, but I've never owned or used anything but a top loader. I still have clothes that I wore in college (still in good condition!) and I'm in my seventies now.

Ah, but perhaps that's because I used my somewhat cavalier approach to laundry. That's what I'm saying. I can get away with it in the UK, but I couldn't abroad.

I sort my laundry as I take it off. My master bedroom is very large so I have three laundry baskets set up for light, bright and dark and I sort my clothes as I take them off. I generally do laundry every two weeks and add a 4th load that is sheets and towels. Delicates are washed in lingerie bags in with the rest of the matching colour loads. So my black bras go in the dark load and my pale bras in the light load. If I had red ones, they'd go in the bright load.

Logged

After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

I also forgot that pulaver is probably an unknown term in the US-I don't think you'd find it offensive if you knew the context in which it's used in the UK. It's somewhere between 'daftness' and 'rigmarole'. And you only say something's daft if you're being friendly.

I don't get it either. Bung it all in the washing machine, separate lights from darks, wash everything at 30 or 40, job done. Our washing machines are different though. I hear those top loaders with the giant agitators in them can tear clothes up. We don't have those in our machines, it's just a drum.

They also take up a lot more room, hence the need for a laundry room, I guess?

And all this bleaching stuff - why is that necessary? Does washing powder not get the clothes clean? Perhaps our detergent is different too. You can buy stuff like Vanish, which you can bung in with the powder to get stains out if something's dried in or whatever, but that's all I've ever done. I've never had to bleach anything in my life.

My tumble drier is in the bedroom, covered by a throw; it makes a rather handy TV stand, actually